Volcano ash could be good for gardens

The ash cloud that is causing chaos for travellers could be good for gardens,
according to horticulturalists.

The ash would not only fertilise plants but help the soil hold water and encourage bacteria.

However volcanoes can also spew out poisonous ash and government officials are keeping an eye on the situation because of the risk to UK agriculture.

Colin Dale, a horticulturalist at Notcutts garden centre, said ash is a good source of nutrients and repellent to pests.

“Although the volcanic ash is causing misery to many British holiday makers, we could be seeing some benefits from the ash cloud – in our gardens," he said. "Volcanic ash can be a great help to your garden in more ways than one. The ash holds air and the air spaces it creates in soil can insulate plants against temperature change. It can also allow your soil to hold water for longer encouraging both soil bacteria and seed germination, both of which are great for plant growth.”

Professor Jon Davidson, of Durham University, said fertile areas like Indonesia have benefited from ash in the past.

"In general volcanic ash is good because it is full of all kinds of elements and nutrients that regenerate the soil," he added.

However he said the amount of ash falling on the UK at the moment it too small to cause any effect.

"At the moment the amount of ash in the UK is so minimal I cannot see it being an issue," he said.

The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), is keeping a close eye on the ash situation because of the effect it could have on agriculture and food supplies. Depending on the chemical make-up of the ash when it falls, it could be good or bad for farmers. If it has high levels of fluorine then that can be poisonous to humans and plants in high amounts.

Defra are also keeping an eye on food supplies. Around two per cent of imported food is flown into the country, although most of it is exotic goods like pineapples.

:: The volcano is unlikely to affect climate change by increasing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Although the volcano is spewing out more than 150,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide everyday, this is just a small part of the 44 million tonnes produced by volcanoes every year. Also, there has been a significant fall in man-made emissions from all the grounded aircraft – at least 1.5 million tonnes in the last five days - although much of this is offset by the increase in travel by road and rail.